Paco Rabanne dies aged 88 as tributes pour in for fashion and perfume legend
Paco Rabanne has died aged 88.
The Spanish fashion designer and perfume legend died in Portsall, France.
Rabanne, born Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo in 1934, grew up in the Basque town of Pasajes, Gipuzkoa province..
He shot to international fame in the 1960s after beginning his career by helping craft jewellery for Dior, Givenchy and Balenciaga before later founding his own fashion house in 1966.
Confirming the sad news of his death, Spanish group Puig - which controls the Paco Rabanne brand - released a statement.
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Paco Rabanne shot to fame in the 1960s (AFP via Getty Images)José Manuel Albesa, president of Puig’s fashion and beauty division, said: "Paco Rabanne made transgression magnetic. Who else could induce fashionable Parisian women to clamor for dresses made of plastic and metal? Who but Paco Rabanne could imagine a fragrance called Calandre – the word means ‘automobile grill,’ you know – and turn it into an icon of modern femininity?
"That radical, rebellious spirit set him apart: There is only one Rabanne. With his passing, we are reminded once again of his enormous influence on contemporary fashion, a spirit that lives on in the house that bears his name."
The fashion designer and perfume legend died in Portsall, France (Getty Images)While Marc Puig added: "I am deeply saddened by the passing of Mr. Paco Rabanne.
"A major personality in fashion, his was a daring, revolutionary and provocative vision, conveyed through a unique aesthetic."
Rabanne retired from fashion in 1999 and has since rarely been seen in public.
His designs were considered untraditional and acquired an enthusiastic American following in the 1960s, dressing the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Jane Fonda and Mia Farrow.
Paco Rabanne has died at the age of 88 (2007 Getty Images)More recently, the Paco Rabanne brand is better known for its perfumes and aftershaves, such as the 1 Million and Lady Million ranges.
Away from the art, fashion and perfume world, Rabanne was interested in astrology and the occult, previously describing himself as a "bit of a medium" and a "clairvoyant".
"I have always believed in magic, ever since I was eight. I am an Aquarius, that is why I am on the earth, in order to foresee the Third World War," he said in a 1975 interview.
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